Becoming a Home Health Aide

Home health care is one of the most rapidly growing areas of the healthcare industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts tremendous growth for home health careers from 2008-2018. Therefore, home health is among the most in-demand health careers. One of the most prevalent careers in home health care is home health aide. If you are passionate about helping people or caring for others, a career as a home health aide may be for you, particularly if you are seeking a career that does not require a degree or extensive training.

What Does a Home Health Aide Do?

Home health aides provide personal care for patients who need assistance for a variety of reasons including illness, advanced age, disability, or cognitive impairment. Home health aides may work with patients as part of a hospice care program also.A typical day for a home health aide can vary greatly depending on the type of patient and condition being treated. Home health aides may help with any personal care task such as bathing, eating, moving, or going to the bathroom. Home health aides may also travel with the patient to assist with errands such as doctor appointments, grocery shopping, picking up medications, or if the patient is unable to leave the home, the home health aide may run these errands for the patient.Home health aides may also even assist with light housekeeping duties such as cooking, cleaning, or laundry.Additionally, home health aides may help with monitoring vital signs, assist with taking medications, and other very basic medical tasks.

Work Environment and Physical Demands

Home health aides may work for an agency or directly for a patient’s family. Either way, the home health aide typically works right in a patient’s home that may be equipped with some basic medical equipment. Some home health aides work at residential care facilities. The job is often physically demanding due to the nature of the work, moving patients, and cleaning, and other physical tasks.

Some home health aides may work with multiple patients for a few hours per day or per week, while others may work their full week with one patient, depending on the needs of the patient or the agency. Sometimes, weekend or evening work may be required as well.

Education and Training Requirements

Home health care aides are not required to have a college degree or high school diploma. Often, aides are trained on the job by nurses or other medical professionals. However, there are some certifications available, and some home health aides have training as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN) or a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

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